Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 253: Ming Dynasty is my ideal country

Every word Xia Yan said was like a thunder, exploding in the banquet hall of the Medici family in Florence.

In addition, Xia Yan and other Ming officials were dressed in gorgeous clothes and had a proper appearance, which made the Florentine artists instinctively feel that they came from a more noble and civilized country.

Even the Florentines present began to pay more attention to Xia Yan. They saw calmness and confidence, as well as erudition and dignity in this Ming official.

Even the ladies upstairs were attracted by Xia Yan and the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers around him, especially Xia Yan. They were not stingy in expressing their affection to him by blowing kisses to him.

Only some nobles of the Medici family looked at Xia Yan with anger and jealousy, spreading words that they found extremely terrifying and unbelievable. If they had not thought that this group of Eastern envoys had just captured Rome and had a large army outside the city, they would have wanted to drive Xia Yan and others out of Florence.

Madeleine, the daughter of Count Auvergne (who became the wife of Lorenzo II a year later), boldly squeezed in front of Xia Yan, held her cheeks with both hands, and asked with a hint of curiosity: "Mr. Xia Yan, are you also a noble from the Ming Dynasty?"

Madeleine's words also aroused the curiosity of other Florentines. After all, in their minds, secular officials were almost all nobles.

"No, I am not a noble. In our Ming Dynasty, nobles cannot have the power to govern the people except for His Majesty the Emperor, and cannot become actual officials of the empire, because the world does not belong to nobles alone!"

As soon as Xia Yan finished speaking, Da Vinci stood up abruptly: "What, you are not a noble of the Ming Dynasty? Nobles have no power in the Ming Dynasty? Can't become a real official?!"

"Oh my god, you are not a noble, but you can represent your country!"

"The world doesn't belong only to the nobles. My God, I really like this country!"

Michelangelo and Raphael both shouted again in shock and excitement.

Even the Lord of Florence, Lorenzo II, stood up in surprise, muttering, "He is not a noble of their country. A commoner can actually command so many knights. This Eastern country is really amazing!"

Leonardo da Vinci, who had the same question as Lorenzo II, walked up to a Ming general in armor and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Xia Yan, is this knight a noble?"

"He is a nobleman. His official title in our Ming Dynasty is earl, not knight. But he is now under the control of this official. However, in the Ming Dynasty, commoners can also become knights."

As soon as Xia Yan finished speaking, a Florentine noble exclaimed: "How is this possible! How can a noble be led by a commoner! How can a commoner be a knight!"

The nobleman's words made many people in Florence feel very strange. They all said in their hearts: "Isn't it right in front of you? The leader of the Ming Dynasty delegation admitted that he was a commoner, and the person who obeyed his orders was actually a count!"

"Mr. Xia Yan, what is the difference between you nobles and commoners? Are there any differences between them? Or, do nobles have any privileges?"

A Florentine noble also took the initiative to ask. He really couldn't believe that the aristocracy of the Ming Empire in the East would be willing to give up power to the common people.

“Nobile people are naturally a class with titles, but they are aristocrats only because of the glory of their ancestors or because they have royal blood. They have lofty status and generous treatment, but they are not the masters of the common people. Common people can become aristocrats, and they can also manage the country together with some outstanding aristocrats. They can all become officials!
But one must pass the imperial examination and the official selection examination, and only after being proven to be an outstanding talent can one become an official of the empire. Except for His Majesty the Emperor, who is succeeded by the primogeniture system recognized by all the people of the world, the high-ranking officials of the empire need to be recommended by the court, that is, everyone votes!"

As Xia Yan spoke, all the Florentines present fell silent and listened attentively to the magical Eastern Empire that Xia Yan talked about.

"And what else, please continue, can nobles and commoners marry each other, and can they live in peace?" Madeline asked at this time.

"Of course! The laws of the Ming Dynasty do not stipulate that their parents can only choose marriage partners of equal status for them. In fact, our Emperor only marries daughters from ordinary civilian families. The current Empress of the Ming Dynasty is the daughter of an ordinary teacher, and in this case, the daughter of an ordinary teacher!"

Xia Yan's words made the Florentines present curious about the Ming Emperor Zhu Houzhao. They sighed sincerely in their hearts, thinking what an equal country this was, where an emperor of aristocratic birth could marry a commoner woman!
"Mr. Xia Yan, could you briefly talk about your country's royal family? Why are they recognized as holy leaders by your people?" At this time, even Lorenzo II became curious about the royal family of the Ming Dynasty and couldn't help but ask.

"To put it simply, the royal family of our Ming Dynasty was originally commoners. Our Emperor Taizu, the first emperor of the royal family, was originally a commoner from Huaiyou. This is what Emperor Taizu said himself. Huaiyou commoner means an ordinary farmer from a place called Huaiyou."

Xia Yan's answer made Lorenzo II curious again. His Medici family was originally from peasant families. Therefore, after hearing about the Ming emperor's background, he felt a sense of intimacy and curiosity, and couldn't help asking again: "Then why was he chosen as the monarch by you?"

"Because Emperor Taizu led an army to drive out the foreign races that enslaved us and gave the people of the world a stable life, the people of the world chose him and his family as the rulers of the world!"

Xia Yan's words made all the people of Florence understand. They discovered that the origin of the royal family of this empire was not because of their noble bloodline, but because they saved the people of this country. Therefore, the artists in Florence seemed to understand why this official from the Ming Dynasty was so full of reverence for his emperor, as if he were a god.

As the lord of Florence, Lorenzo II became more and more curious about the royal family of the Ming Empire. He even had some sympathy for them, because his family also came from common people, and now his family was also the lord of Florence.

Therefore, Lorenzo II could not help but ask again: "Excuse me, is the Ming Empire as big as our Florence? Is its population as large as our Florence?"

"No, our Ming Empire's territory is more than twice the total of your Western Empire. It would take months to reach it from the northernmost to the southernmost. Our people are like a swarm of carp crossing the river, like clouds filling the sky, numbering in the tens of millions!"

Xia Yan's answer shocked Lorenzo II, and also shocked the Florentines who also equated small city-states with countries. They all wondered how huge such an empire was.

"What this official from the Eastern Empire said should be true, because the records of their empire are all written in history, and they had a history and a country long before the birth of our Jesus. When we were still in ignorance, they had already become civilized! Therefore, they are richer than us, and even their clothes reflect art!"

The learned Leonardo da Vinci said to Michelangelo.

Michelangelo nodded in agreement. He really wanted to sculpt this oriental official who symbolized rationality and wisdom, so that people would remember the calmness and confidence of the Oriental people.

Lorenzo II became ambitious. He thought that emperors of commoner origin could own such a large empire, but his family could only own Florence. He couldn't help but get emotional. He wanted to ask this Ming official for advice on how the emperor of their empire could own so much land and population.

Madeline still seemed to be quite interested in Xia Yan. Although she now knew that Xia Yan was just an official of civilian origin, it did not reduce her favor for this confident oriental man. She could not help but ask, "Sir, can you tell me what your hobbies are and what your original occupation was?"

"Like them, I like words and art. I am also a scholar. In our empire, artists and scholars are highly respected. For example, people like me can be appointed high officials. Even nobles will respect us! Even our emperor welcomes more artists to come to Ming Dynasty and create a prosperous world together! No matter what you believe in or where you come from, as long as you and I are working for the prosperity of Ming Dynasty and for the better life of the people of Ming Dynasty, you are welcome!"

Xia Yan's words made the artists in Florence even more excited. They had not expected that artists would have such a high status in the Ming Empire. But now Xia Yan, a senior civil servant, was standing in front of them, forcing them to believe it. Naturally, they were all looking forward to visiting the Ming Dynasty.

When it was late at night and Xia Yan was about to rest at the place arranged by Lorenzo II, Leonardo da Vinci came over with Michelangelo: "Sir, I am Leonardo da Vinci. I am very happy to have a pleasant conversation with you today. I originally wanted to leave Florence, but I didn't know where to go. Now I really want to go to Daming. I beg you to agree to it!"

Leonardo da Vinci drew some of them and said, "I drew these. I think I should be considered what you call an artist!"

"And me, I sculpted this, look! I can carve the most exquisite and soulful statues!" Michelangelo also took over the conversation.

At this time, Raphael also ran over: "And me!"

Seeing this, Xia Yan couldn't help but smile and said, "Our Emperor has heard of your names a long time ago, and he also hopes that you can come to Ming. In this case, please be prepared. When the time comes, I can use my power as the Western Patrol Officer to approve you to become citizens of Ming!"

At this time, a gorgeous carriage suddenly appeared, and a girl in a white dress jumped down: "Mr. Xia Yan, please allow me to express my love for you. Love is pure and is appreciated by God. So, I want to tell you my love for you, please take me with you! I want to be your lover! I also want to give you my love!"

(End of this chapter)